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J. WHELAN. ELEGTRIGAL UONDUIT.

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Patented Nov. 2.0, 1888.

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(No Model.) 3 SheetQ-Sheet 2 J. WHELAN.

ELECTRICAL GONDUIT.

- No. 393,346. Patented Nov. 20, 1888.

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BEST AVAILABLE COP @No Model.) J WHELAN I 3 SheetsShe et 3, ELEGII'RIGALGONDiTIT. No. 393,346. Patented Noir. .20, 1888.

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JOHN WHELAN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRDTO JAMES NOLAN, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRICAL oonoulT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,346, dated November20,1888. Application filed July 25, 1888. Serial No. 518L024. (Nomodel.)

' underground conduits for electrical cables or '15 conductors. Y

The object of my invention is to provide an improved conduit which shallbe more durable, simple', and cheaper in construction than thoseheretofore in use, and which shall be always dry and clean, having athorough draft of air and perfect ventilation through all its parts.Access can also be had to all parts of the conduit by using one or morelockingplates on each block or section, to keep the other plates securein place.

With these ends in View my invention consists in certain novel featuresof construction andcombinations of parts,more fully describedhereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a portion of the conduit, one side of the same being removed to showthe cables in the interior. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section ofthe conduit. Fig.3 is an elevation showing the condnit serving thepurpose of a curbstone,heavy lines showing where the sides are jointed.Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a section of the conduit, a portion ofthe cover and side being removed to clearly show the manner of jointingtogether the parts, the cables and shelves being removed. Fig. 5 is avertical cross-section of the conduit, showing the ventilatingand drainpipes, also the shelves and cables. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are detached viewsof thelock for thelocking-plate of the cover. Fig. 9 is a top plan ofone of the shelves. Fig. 10 is a vertical section of one of the jointsfor the sides of the conduit. Fig. 11 is across-section of same on linean ac, Fig. 10; and Fig. 12 is a diagram of a street-crossing,sho wingthe manner of laying the conduit at street-crossings.

The conduit,as shown, is preferably rectangular in shape and comprisesbottom, side,and 5 top plates, all made to a standard to render theparts interchangeable when broken, or for other reasons. jointedtogether in an exceedingly simple and cheap manner, dispensing with theuseof 6o near their longitudinal edges, with parallel.

grooves a a, into which the lower edges of the side plates, B, snuglyfit. The bottom plates are also provided upon their upper faces,near thegrooves, with one or more lugs or cleats,

b, the edges of which, lying parallel with the grooves a, are undercutor beveled, as shown. The side plates, at their lower inner sides, areprovided with corresponding cleats or lugs, 0, provided with beveled orlongitudinal edges to engage the undercut. edges of cleats I). Thus itwill be readily seen that to fasten the side pieces and bottom togetherthe lower edges of the side plates are inserted in grooves a a with thecleats disengaged. The

sides are then slid longitudinally until the bev- 8o cled edges ofcleats a slide into the dovetailed or undercut portion of cleat' I),thus forming a slip or dovetailed joint and securely fastening the partstogether. The bottig lat are secured together by two cleats b engagingone cleat c, and the same can be reversed where the joints between theside plates occur, as shown in Fig. 4. The side plates on the same sidesof the conduit are jointed together,

as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, preferably by 9 means of a slip-tonguejoint, the adjoining vertical edges being grooved and the tongue ainserted. On level ground of course the edges of the side plates will bevertical, (see joint on left-hand side of Fig. 3,) but where the conduitis ascending or descending a grade the edges of the side plates will bediagonal or inclined. (See joint on right hand side of Fig. 3.)

The top plates or covers, 0, of the conduit are ICC The parts are unitedand locking plates or covers are located, which are not secured totheside pieces by the slipjoints, but are provided with locks which securethem to the sides, and which,-when uu locked, allow the locking-platesto be lifted directly from the conduit and thus leave sufficient spacefor the longitudinal movement necessary for removing the other sectionsof the cover. The lock for said locking-plates consists of a cam, D,mounted on the under side of said plates to turn horizontally andprovided with diametrically-opposite lugs or projections f to fit intogrooves or sockets f I [inthe innersides of the side plateswhen thecover is locked. The cam is provided with a hub, d, turning in a socketorbearing in the cover-plate, (see Fig. 6,) and said hub and cam areprovided witha central angular or clon gated aperture, d ,-registeringwith a similar opening through the cover-plate, Fig. 6. It will thusbel'seen that the lock can be closed or opened by inserting a suitableinstrument through said opening and turning the cam in i the cover andextending through slots the desired direction. The cam is guided andlimited in its movement by pins secured to in the cam, as shown in Fig.8. r

. 1 Findicates oneor morehorizontal shelves for I with the inner facesof the side plates.

supporting the cables or wires. These shelves are removably supported byand loosely rest upon the lugs or projections F, cast integral Thelongitudinal edges of said shelves are beveled downwardly and inwardly,as'shown,to facilitate their removal by being lifted out from the topand to prevent them from wedging. .Upon their upper sides the horizontalbottoms or shelves are provided with diagonal grooves, as shown, havingvertical perforations through their bottoms. This is to allow for thecirculation of the air and for the escape of moisture to the bottom ofthe conduit, from which it passes oil through drain-pipes IJ- The bottomof the conduitis left clear and unobstructedmaterial in which to packthe cables is bog mold or peat, (see Fig. 5,) as it is aperfectnon-conductor and is indestructible, and once packed will last as longas the conduit itself. It never gets hard, but packs like sawdust, andis always porous and allows ventilation.

' I 393,348 B EST AVAllABLE C The conduitat suitable intervals isprovided with induction-pipes N, through which air is forced into thelower portion of the conduit.

m indicates eduction-pipes at the upper part of the conduit, throughwhich the airis discharged from the conduit. It will be readily seenthat the air entering at the lower portion of the conduit passes upthrough the cables, keeping the parts thoroughly ventilated andpreventing decay. The seriesof top and bottom plates are united andjointed together, as shown, by lapjoints, by having the meeting-- endedges beveled or notched to make a. close 8c tight joint between theadjoining edges. The joints, particularly the slip-tongue joints, arepreferably firmly seated with heated pitch or asphalt to keep outmoisture and lock the plates together. l

- Where the device 18 used a conduit for electric-lightcables, sectionsformed of terracotta, lead, or other non-conducting material can beintroduced where the conduit passes in a proximity to water, gas, orother metallic pipes to prevent the heavy current conveyed over suchwires from entering'houses orpassing into pipes and displacing coeks'orvalves.

Although mention is made of substances of which the conduit might beconstructed, I do T indicates a transverse step-piece con" If desirable,they might be formed i nected to the top and sides of the conduit bysuitable joints and a tongue and groove, as seen in Fig. 3, and isintended to be used. at street-crossings or the like where there is anabrupt fall in the surface of the ground.

In the diagram shown in Fig. 12, P indicates the sewer-traps at astreet-crossing, and R indicates the conduit. It will be seen that theconduit extends around to the rear of the sewer-traps and crosses theside street a distance from the street upon which the conduit is laid.It should be observedthat the angles and turns in the conduit are of thesame degree; hence one set of patterns will answer any angle of street,and the sewer-traps or curbs neednot be disturbed on account of theconduit. All the similar parts and plates of the conduit are madeinterchangeable and are duplicates of each other, so that they all fitwhere put together. I

It is clearly evident that various slight changes might be made in theform and arrangement of the parts described without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself tothe precise construction herein set forth.

What I claim isy 1. In an electrical conduit, the combination jointedtogether. and

of' bottom, side, and top or cover plates, with slip or dovetailedjoints removably securing the same together, substantially as described.

2. An electrical conduit formed of interchangeable platesremovablyjointed together to form the top, sides, and bottom of the conduit,substantially as described.

3. In an underground conduit, the combination, with the bottom and sidesof the conduit, of the removable cover for the same, comprisingplates:.secured to the sides by slipjoints, and lockin'grplates capableof being lifted direetly from the conduit when unlocked, as set forth. 1

4.. In an underground conduit, the combination, with the sides of theconduit, of a cover and a lock to removably secure the cover upon theconduit, comprisinga movable cam upon the under surface of the coverprovided with curved transverse slots and having projecting lugs toengage the sides and hold the cover, a hub upon its upper side locatedin the cover and forming the axis upon which the cam turns, and pinsextending from the cover through. and confined in the slots in the camto guide the same in its movement and movably hold it to-the cover, saidcover, hub,

" and cam having registering openings for the insertion of a key tooperate the lock, substantially as described.

5. In an electrical conduit, the combination, with the sides and top, ofthe bottom plates having longitudinal grooves in which the sides fit andslip, or dovetailed joints securing the bottom plates to the sides,substantially as described.

6. In an electrical conduit, the combination of horizontal shelves toreceive the cables located a suitable distance apart and provided withtransverse apertures, the lowest shelf be- BEST AVAlLABLE COP 3 8. Thecombination,in an electrical conduit,

of the shelveshaving downwardly and in wardly beveled edges, theprojections supporting said shelves, the cables, and insulating packing,substantially as described.

9. In an electrical conduit, the combination, with the sides, of thehorizontal shelves having down vardly and inwardly beveled edges anddiagonal grooves and transverse openings,

as set forth.

10. In an underground conduit, 2. bottom having suitable grooves andbeveled cleats arranged at intervals throughout its length, sidesfitting in said grooves and secured together by tongue-joints and havingcleats to engage said cleats of the bottom and form slip-joints,

and a top provided with lap-joints and secured to the sides byslip-joints, in combination with a transverse step-piece for use atcrossings, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my .own I afiix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WH ELAN. Witnesses:

HUBERT E. PEALs, Cass. M. W ERLE,

